(source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)
Good evening. Here is the Thursday, December 15 edition of Today in Slovakia -the main news of the day in under five minutes.
Slovakia's government loses a no-confidence vote
The outcome of the December 15 vote of no confidence against Heger's government. (source: TASR - Jaroslav Novák)
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger's minority government fell on Thursday evening after narrowly losing a no-confidence vote in parliament. It ends the short term of a prime minister who has been praised for his performance on the international stage but criticised at home for being a weak head of government.
After a parliamentary session on Thursday that was subject to repeated interruptions, 78 lawmakers out of the 102 present in the chamber supported the no-confidence vote.
The vote had been initiated by two opposition parties, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and Hlas.
Related: A long-time political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov comments on the fall of the Heger government.
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Abduction: The police investigate corruption in a 2017 abduction scandal that concerns a Vietnamese entrepreneur.
Health care: Patients in some of the towns in central and eastern Slovakia receive the best health care, according to INEKO's latest rankings of hospitals.
Car industry: The announcement of the Volvo investment is one of the economic highlights of the year, but the car industry continues to face challenges.
FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
Slovak car industry gears up for e-mobility
InoBat battery. (source: TASR)
The global car industry is becoming increasingly electrified as automakers move away from the production of fossil fuel-driven vehicles. Experts say Slovak companies are already preparing themselves.
If you have suggestions on how this news digest can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
OTHER THURSDAY NEWS IN A FEW LINES:
The European Central Bank will raise three key interest ratesby 50 basis points. The interest rate on the main refinancing operations and the interest rates on the marginal lending facility and the deposit facility will be increased to 2.50 per cent, 2.75 per cent and 2.00 per cent from December 21 of this year.
The second stage of a tram line project in Bratislava's Petržalka borough, in the section from Jungmannová to Janíkov Dvor, will not be completed by the end of 2023, mayor Matúš Vallo announced. (TASR)
Slovak photographer Tomáš Slovinský's picture of the lunar occultation of Mars from December 8, taken in Košice, is featured on NASA's website as picture of the day. (source: NASA/T.S.)
In 2021, the municipal waste recycling rate was at 46 per cent. The goal is to reach 55 per cent from 2025 and 65 per cent in 2035, the Institute for Environmental Policy wrote on Facebook.
Belgian actor and director Jean-Claude Van Damme visited eastern Slovakia on the way back from Ukraine. (Korzár)
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